FRANKFURT: September 21, 2018. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the opening of Frankfurt Airport's animal station, the largest facility of its kind in Europe.

“Special thanks are due to our customers, who have remained loyal to us for many years,” said Sören Stark, Board member Operations and COO of Lufthansa Cargo.

More than a billion animals of all kinds have passed through the facility including  80 million ornamental fish a year.

Jörg Bodenröder, senior director of Handling Specials at Lufthansa Cargo, commented: “Many exotic species have already flown with us. From giraffes and hippopotamuses through to Mesopotamian fallow deer. Special memories include famous guests such as the two pandas Meng Meng and Jiao Qing sent by China’s president Xi Jingping to German chancellor Angela Merkel as special animal envoys in 2017.”

The Animal Lounge ialso includes 42 large animal stalls with up to 28 square metres of space available for the 2,000 animals that pass through annually, while new, premium-quality horse containers are used inflight in partnership with the German Equestrian Federation.

Dogs and cats, some 15,000 annually, are regular visitors and the airline provides seaprate 'quiet zones' for the felines and pictures of how well they are doing are even sent to their owners for reassurance.

The Animal Lounge combines handling, animal coordination and veterinary services in one 4,000 sq.mt facility and is staffed by 50 employees and qualified animal caretakers for round-the-clock care that includes black light to examine ornamental fish, 18 climate-controlled rooms and four special aviaries.